Tag: Behind the Books

Author Interview: Carol Gordon Ekster

On By Only Picture BooksIn Behind the Books2 Comments

The final Author Interview of 2019 is with … Carol Gordon Ekster. Here are nine biographical bullet points to help you get to know her a bit better.

  1. Elementary school teacher for 35 years.
  2. Does yoga daily.
  3. As an adult, finally learned she loves dogs!
  4. Used to live in Brooklyn, right near the boardwalk and beach.
  5. Graduated from Boston University.
  6. Has a Master’s degree in reading and language.
  7. Married Mark, a high school pal.
  8. Has a daughter, Dara, who “continues to fascinate me and teach me new things all the time.”
  9. Belongs to five picture book critique groups.

With that, it’s time to interview away. Here we go!

RVC: Let’s start with a different question than I normally ask in these interviews. You’re more prolific on social media than many writers I encounter—witness 39k thousand tweets, for example! What’s your social media strategy? (And your secret for success, too, if you don’t mind sharing!)

CGE: Thanks for noticing, Ryan! I work hard to keep active on Twitter. I promote other #kidlit authors whenever I can. I share #amwriting content that I think is valuable. You don’t want to just promote your own books. That’s not how it works. But Twitter is my favorite social media platform for authors. When I can, I follow #PBchat nights. I learn from the agents, editors, and other authors and illustrators who are in the trenches of this children’s literature world. It’s all so interesting and informative. I keep up with others getting contracts, new books coming out, incredible resources and opportunities, etc. And I’ve done #PBpitch. It’s how I sold my fifth book. Last October when I participated, an editor liked my pitch, I sent in my manuscript and was offered a contract. You can read about my #PBpitch success here: http://www.pbpitch.com/book-dealssuccess-stories.html

Twitter is also a fun way to connect with readers and educators. As a retired teacher, I love connecting with educators who share a passion for books and use them consistently with their students. I also follow @nerdybookclub and nerdcamps (like @nErDcampVT and @nErDcampLI) on Twitter.

I limit my time on any social media as I don’t want to take too much time away from actual writing, but this is absolutely an important aspect of writing. It helps you build your platform, which is imperative if you want to get your name and books out there. Don’t forget though, I’m retired from teaching with no little ones around, so I have the time and opportunity to devote to my writing life.

RVC: How specifically did your years of teaching prepare you for this terrific second career?

CGE: Well, not only was my master’s degree in reading and language, but it seems that all the workshops and courses for recertification all throughout my career dealt with either writing or picture books. Though I never wanted to write myself (at the time), I did feel having writing workshops for my fourth graders was imperative to their education and growth as individuals. We didn’t write fiction. They wrote about what they knew. Each child left my class with a book of their writing from the year…something I know families cherished. Reading so many picture books throughout the year to support all aspects of my curriculum as well as social issues that arose, as well as helping children write, prepared me for becoming a children’s author.

When I started writing at the end of my career and sharing my work with students, it was a fantastic experience for them to see me go through the writing process. I loved hearing their feedback and I think it was invaluable for them to see how I worked to improve my writing through revision.  My background also helps me create follow-​up activities for my books as well as know how to interact with children in readings or school visits.

RVC: Your picture book career seemed to have officially begun on a beach in the summer of 2002. Talk about what happened, and what the process was in terms of moving from an idea to publication with that first book.

CGE: I took lots of courses and workshops on writing, but I never wanted to write. I found writing challenging. Then a few years before retiring, it’s like the universe aligned for me to have another career. I’m absolutely not the sitting around type, so this was a gift. Out of the clear blue, I walked off the beach on this particular day, went to get Post-​its and a pen from my car, and wrote my first picture book that day. It seriously felt like I had no control in this action. Writing happened to me. I never looked back and dug into the writing life. That first manuscript was didactic, too long, read more like a magazine article, and would never sell. I joined SCBWI and a critique group, and the stories kept coming. The 20th manuscript I wrote, Where Am I Sleeping Tonight?, was the first one to sell. Six years after that day on the beach, I held my first published book in my hand.

RVC: Listed among the bio tidbits above is the fact that you’re in five critique groups. How does that work for you? Do you run the same manuscript by each group?

CGE: I started in one group, but then so many people joined as we met in a public library. This meant that we had to open it to the public. I could no longer share my work every time we met. I started writing later in life, so I think that’s why I write so much, making up for lost time. I had so many manuscripts to share that I began to seek out other groups. I keep a spreadsheet of the manuscripts I bring to each group, and sometimes I do bring the same one to different groups, but I’m not consistent about that. I simply have too many stories!

RVC: You’re a long-​time member of SCBWI. What’s the #1 most useful thing that organization did for you? Why should aspiring picture book writers consider joining?

CGE: I honestly wouldn’t be published without SCBWI. My first two manuscripts were bought in response to my submitting to publishers who listed a call for submissions in the Bulletin. In addition, the professional support, conferences, resources, and opportunities for submission to editors, have helped me with my craft and my career. Aspiring picture book writers need to join SCBWI if they’re serious about this business. It’s essential.

RVC: From what I’ve read about you in other interviews, it sounds as if you’re playing a pretty big game in terms of submissions. What’s the ratio of how many books you’ve sold vs. how many manuscripts you’ve submitted? How do you keep the energy up? The organization/​record-​keeping?

CGE: Yes. I do submit quite a bit. Let’s just say at this point, I’ve collected close to 2,000 rejections from agents and publishers. If you want to do the math, I’ve sold five books, two magazine articles, and one e‑book. I used to have a paper sheet for each manuscript, but that became burdensome as I approached 100 manuscripts. I recently transferred that information to a Google document, which is much easier. I keep my energy up by believing in the process. For my newest acquisition, Some Daddies, which will be out in 2021, I saw the difference in what an agent previously said (“I like it. There aren’t enough daddy books”) to the response I got from the acquiring editor: “We love how this book celebrates the diversity of what it can look like to be a dad. This is so important for young kids who are starting to notice other children’s parents and compare them to their own, as well as how they develop their perception of healthy masculinity. This is a joyful book with a serious message—the type of book we would be proud to publish at Beaming Books.”

That’s what you want, an editor to love your manuscript. That’s what you’re waiting for.

RVC: What happens when you get a rejection? Do you have a standard response strategy?

CGE: I move on and think about where to send it next! I have to believe it’s just not the right publisher or agent.

(Okay, I feel a little badly, especially when I first send something out and have hope in my heart…but I get over it.)

RVC: While you’ve claimed that you don’t LOVE book promoting, you sure seem committed to doing a lot of it. What’s a book PR success story in your past?

CGE: I don’t love promoting, because it can be uncomfortable. I like the creative aspects, like thinking about who will be interested in knowing about this book. I enjoy offering advice to my writing buddies about where they might sell their books. I’m not sure how successful I’ve been, but I know that for my book on shared custody, I reached out to many divorce lawyers in my state who had resources on their website. And I recently noticed a five-​star review on Amazon that said, “I am a divorce attorney. I give this book out to clients who have children going through this. It is a great way for parents and children to have healthy conversations about their situation.”

In the past, I’ve had fun thinking outside the box. I contacted a few bakeries to sell Ruth the Sleuth and The Messy Room. The story begins and ends with chocolate chip cookies. Two bakeries took books on consignment. One owner told me many people read the book, but only a few buy it. I didn’t sell a lot of books. Sometimes it’s not about sales. I believe that you never know where one reading of a book may lead.

RVC: What’s the most important thing people should know or understand about being a traditionally published picture book author?

CGE: You’ll need patience, perseverance, and dedication. And you have to learn to accept this path with all its twists, turns, disappointments, expectations and joys. It’s not an easy path, but it IS an amazing journey. Learn to feel gratitude for being able to touch lives in this way and remember to enjoy the ride!

RVC: How do you keep a picture book from being too didactic, yet still have lessons in it? I’m especially thinking about Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? here.

CGE: Oh, goodness. I’m still a teacher at heart. A lot of my stories are too didactic. But I’m working on it. Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? (A Story of Divorce) is a bit lesson heavy (I deal with responsibility in this book as well as divorce), but it’s also heartfelt and helps children through this emotional and difficult situation. I know it makes them feel less alone.

RVC: Without giving away too much, what are you working on now?

CGE: I always work on a few things at once…and tackle whatever I’m moved to work on. It’s so wonderfully opposite my teaching life. No daily schedule. No ringing bells. I decide when and what I want to work on, which is mostly a mix of fiction stories, concept books, and some biographies.  There are 27 items in my “still revising” folder and another document with many ideas that I haven’t really developed yet. There…I didn’t give anything away!

RVC: Fair enough! It’s time to transition to THE LIGHTNING ROUND. Cheetah-​fast questions and race-​car-​quick answers, please! Ready?

CGE: Ready!

RVC: Favorite place to get a gift card for?

CGE: Starbucks or a bookstore.

RVC: Best delivery system for chocolate?

CGE: This will sound weird but I get it in my calcium…it’s dark chocolate, looks like candy, and is delicious!

RVC: What’s your secret talent?

CGE: Ooh…I wish I had one!

RVC: If your books were children, which one are you most proud of?

CGE: As long as the others didn’t find out…I’ll whisper to you that it’s probably Before I Sleep: I Say Thank You, because I believe teaching children gratitude can make for a happier society. And it went into its third printing in the first two years. (But I do have reasons why I love each one of my books. And now I feel guilty. You’re a very tough-question-askerer!)

RVC: An under-​appreciated but awesome picture book of the past year?

CGE: It’s so hard to pick just one. I read so many picture books every week. But I loved a recent book that I read. It’s beautifully written and a touching book: Small World by Ishta Mercurio, illustrated by Jen Corace.

RVC: Best compliment a student ever gave you?

CGE: A compliment that I always appreciated hearing was, “You make learning fun,” because I worked really hard to ensure students experienced the joy of learning.

RVC: Thanks so much, Carol!

 

Author Interview: Artemis Roehrig

On By Only Picture BooksIn Behind the Books2 Comments

The November 2019 author interview is with Northeasterner author and science guru Artemis Roehrig. What’s cool is that a few days after this interview goes live, I’ll meet her in person at a Highlights Foundation event with Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple. How’s that for some PB-​related name dropping? And a dose of literary kismet?

By way of getting to know Artemis, let’s play the Eight Truths and One Whopper game. Here we go!

  1. Favorite food is macaroni and cheese.
  2. Didn’t get on an airplane until age 18.
  3. Longtime member of the pit orchestra for Valley Light Opera.
  4. Secretly hates coffee.
  5. Has four pet tarantulas.
  6. Earned a master’s degree at UMass in Organismic & Evolutionary Biology.
  7. Still owns a huge collection of Beanie Babies.
  8. Taught summer classes at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
  9. Participates in a combination dance class/​book club.

(If you’re not sure which is false, I’ll spill those biographical beans by the end of the interview.)

For those who are nostalgic about standard bios, though, I’ll offer this, too. Artemis grew up in Western Massachusetts, attended Skidmore College as an undergraduate, and she’s a proud SCBWI member.

Shall we proceed to the interview now? Let’s go!

RVC: Let’s start with your cool first name. Do you have siblings with the name of gods/​goddesses? Do your two kids have equally mythologically wonderful monikers? What’s the real scoop here?

AR: My mother is Greek (check out her memoir Eleven Stories High: Growing Up in Stuyvesant Town, 1948–1968 by Corinne Demas), and since I have my dad’s last name, I think it was important to them that I have an unquestionably Greek first name. And yes, my kids have mythological names too, you’ll have to wait until they publish their first books to find out what they are though!

RVC: Gotcha. (Note to self: Watch for future books from a “Zeus Medusa Perseus Hephaestus Roehrig.”)

So, you made your first book when you were 6, right? A homemade book with your mom called Two Christmas Mice? What do you remember most about that project?

AR: One year we decided to exchange homemade books with our close friends instead of buying Christmas presents. So Two Christmas Mice started as one of those projects. I was very into craft projects at that age, so making books was right up my alley.

RVC: From early on, it sounds as if your mom really wanted you to be a writer. Didn’t she urge you to get a degree in creative writing? What was it like having a successful writer parent?

AR: Yes, she always wanted me to be a writer, and she did convince me to take a creative writing class with Elizabeth McCracken while I was in college. However, I rebelled by majoring in biology.

RVC: I’ve been there there, too, trying like crazy to avoid Fate. But you finally surrendered, and you created a couple of books with your mom, like Does a Fiddler Crab Fiddle? and (forthcoming in 2020) Do Jellyfish Like Peanut Butter? What’s it like to work with her? How is that process different than writing a picture book solo?

AR: As someone in the sciences, collaborating comes very naturally. Look at how many authors there are on most scientific papers! It’s even easier writing with my mom, since we know one another so well. Plus we can be brutally honest with one another when things aren’t working well.

RVC: Talk about the particular challenges of doing nonfiction books for kids. You can’t just make stuff up the way you can with fiction, right? 

AR: Science books are tricky since new studies are constantly coming out. It’s important to always check dates on resources! Nonfiction takes just as much time to write as fiction, but you need spend lots of time on research too. I use a totally different part of my brain when writing fiction versus nonfiction. It’s like the difference between jazz and classical music.

RVC: You’ve spent a lot of time in Cape Cod. How influential is that place—or place in general—in your writing?

AR: I first became interested in pirates when I was a kid and learned about the Whydah, the pirate ship that had wrecked off the coast of Cape Cod, so I feel like it is the perfect place to be when writing about pirates! I also have been very inspired by the Cape for my STEM books. People tend to think of the Cape as just a place to go to the beach, but it has other fascinating habitats like swamps, coastal heathland, marshes, etc, to explore too.

RVC: You’ve got one pirate book out already—Are Pirates Polite? And you’ve got The Grumpy Pirate coming out in 2020 (yet another picture book that’s co-​authored with your mom). What do you find so interesting about pirates?

AR: Pirates are interesting because they are counterculture, which makes them a fun lens to use to look at ubiquitous topics such as politeness or grumpiness!

RVC: How do you balance the creative side of writing with the business side?

AR: The business side of writing definitely takes way more time and effort than I’d like. It’s not really possible to just lock yourself away and be creative. This is a super rough estimate, and varies drastically by project, but in general, I would say the actual writing takes less time and effort than the business.

RVC: Plenty of people give the same advice to aspiring picture book writers (read a lot, join a crit group, be part of SCBWI, pay attention to how kids talk and what they talk about, etc.). What’s one less-​common tip/​strategy/​technique that might help an unpublished picture book writer make real progress?

AR: Well, you hit on a lot of the good ones there. I’d say the most important part of publishing is not to take yourself too seriously. If you’re determined to be published, you’ll need to be very open to criticism. This might include things as extreme as trying out your main character as a different gender or different animal. Rewriting your rhyming book as prose and vice versa. Doubling your manuscript size or cutting it in half.

RVC: Terrific–thanks for those tips. But now it’s time … FOR … THE … SPEED ROUND!! 100mph questions and equally zoomy answers, please. Ready?

AR: Ready!

RVC: Where do you find the yummiest lobster roll in Cape Cod?

AR: I’m a vegetarian, but I’ll say Mac’s on the Pier in Wellfleet because it’s the best location to eat one!

RVC: Most underappreciated insect?

AR: Tiger beetles, since surprisingly few people have even heard of them.

RVC: Awesomest Crayola color that doesn’t yet exist?

AR: Compost. It would be one of those multicolored crayons, made up of various earthy browns and greens. Very useful for coloring in things like trees and grass.

RVC: Best STEM/​STEAM picture book you’ve read in the past year?

AR: Counting Birds: The Idea that Helped Save Our Feathered Friends by Heidi E.Y. Stemple, illustrated by Clover Robin.

RVC: Three words that encapsulate what a good picture book does.

AR: Interest. Educate. Inspire.

RVC: Thanks so much, Artemis!

Note to readers: Did you sleuth out which biographical lie was in that list at the top? The falsehood was … #7. Artemis always thought Beanie Babies were kind of silly. Nowhere near as cool as insects!

 

Illustrator Interview: Duncan Beedie

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This month’s interview is with author/​illustrator Duncan Beedie, the first UK-​based interview subject we’ve ever had at OPB! Don’t worry, though—I’ve installed a UK-​to-​American-​English translator plugin, so we don’t run into any linguistic snafus!

Let’s borrow some bio stuff from Duncan himself: “I have been doodling and drawing since way back in the early 1980s, lying on my parents’ living room floor, grasping a felt tip in my clammy little fist, through to my current profession, grasping a Wacom stylus in my clammy little fist. So, not much has changed, although I no longer lie on the floor to draw.”

I first learned about Duncan via his picture book, The Lumberjack’s Beard, which I read to my kids and they said, “That beard is bonkers good.” With an endorsement like that, I knew I had to bring Duncan into the OPB fold one way or another.

So, let’s get this interview underway and learn about all things Duncan! With a little luck, we might learn something about that wondrous across-​the-​pond place called the UK, as well.

RVC: Let’s start right where my kids did—that lumberjack’s beard. With a picture book where you’re both author and illustrator, where does the story begin? With a title, an image, a phrase? (It’s the beard, right? You can tell us.) 

DB: I always start with a character design. I consider myself more of an illustrator than a writer, so doodling in a sketchbook always comes first. Then, if there’s a character I particularly like, I start to develop a world for him/​her. I think about that character’s routine, what they might wear or eat, and hopefully a story idea emerges. That was certainly the case with “Big” Jim Hickory in The Lumberjack’s Beard.

RVC: One of the things I’ve noticed in looking at picture books by UK publishers (like Templar Books, which published many of your titles) is that there’s a stylistic difference from picture books from US publishers. What do you think? Do you see it, too? What’s this about?

DB: I’m afraid to say I haven’t looked closely enough at enough US picture books to be able to comment on the stylistic differences (my apologies!) I do, however, notice differences between UK books and their European counterparts. Particularly in terms of the illustration. I also think artists and writers vary incredibly within the UK. I haven’t a clue what accounts for this stylistic difference, but it’s great to see so much variety on bookshop shelves.

RVC: I completely agree. Variety is the life of spice, right? Something like that?

Moving ahead! I always like to know the origin story of a creative. You gave us a wonderful bio nugget in the intro, so let’s jump to another key point in your creative past—your first book. What’s the story behind it? How did it come about?

DB: The Bear Who Stared came about from an illustration as well. One day I drew a gormless-​looking bear [UK translator in action here! Gormless: an informal British word, meaning “lacking in vitality or intelligence; stupid; clumsy”] as if he were posing for a passport photo. I had a printout of it in my studio and would occasionally stare at it–the gormless bear stared back.

Eventually a story about a socially awkward bear formed in my mind. I sketched out a storyboard and sent it to a couple of publishers, and Templar Books replied stating they were interested in developing it. The rest is history, as they say.

RVC: I love the answer, but I confess–that bear’s staring is getting to me now, too! ARGH! Let’s move on as if that bear isn’t still giving me The Look…

Prior to getting into illustrating picture books, you worked in animation for 14 years. How did the skills you learned in that environment inform your work as a picture book illustrator?

DB: Quite simply, animation is a great form of storytelling. In terms of my artwork, it taught me a great deal about the storytelling process. Storyboarding in particularly made me think about pacing a narrative and how to construct a visual composition in terms of using the space available. I still use animation software (Adobe Animate CC) to draw the colour artwork for my picture books. I know there are plenty of other programs out there, but I find it so intuitive and easy to use. 

RVC: In all your experience with picture books, what has surprised you the most?

DB: This might sound weird, but I’m constantly amazed by how bloody nice everyone is in the world of children’s books. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but there’s a real community spirit among authors, illustrators, and even competing publishers. I say “competing,” but there seems to be a genuine camaraderie across the board. I came into the industry from having worked in TV and commercials, so it was a bit like moving from LexCorp to a puppy sanctuary.

RVC: I understand that you “have a desk” at Paintworks, which seems like an artsy, hipster place with studio/​offices, residential spaces, and an exhibition venue. How much work do you do there? And how does it affect your creative process, having a clear view of the city, as you do?

DB: Well, I see you have done your research!

I rent a desk in an animation studio called Sun & Moon Studios. I’ve known the directors for a long time and they are good friends of mine. We have recently moved to a much bigger studio that is even “hipper,” with a foosball table and “industrial-​chic vibe.” However, I have lost my window view of the city, so have to make do with a photo of it as my desktop wallpaper.

I tried working from home, but it was such a solitary experience that it genuinely impacted my mental health. It’s nice to be able to socialize with fellow creative types.

RVC: What do you think is the most common misconception about freelance illustrating?

DB: That we sit around in cafés with MacBooks, eating artisan poppy seed bagels, whilst wearing gaudy knitwear and big hooped earrings, and stroking cats. Although, like most clichés, there must be enough truth in this scenario to warrant the cliché status.

RVC: Though your description there is a 100% match with every single artist I know, I take your point. It could just be me and my select group here. Who can say?

Let’s talk agents. You’re repped by Jodie Hodges at United Agents. At what point in your career did you secure representation, and how vital is it for young artists to do the same?

DB: I was initially repped by Illustration Ltd (from 2011) and it was great to have a team with their expertise fighting in my corner, as it were. If I do conform to an artist stereotype, it is that I have about the same level of business acumen as a goldfish. A lot of clients (outside of publishing) seem to think of illustration as a hobby and therefore don’t value it for what it’s worth. An agent will fight to get you a fair price and have the gumption to stand up to the cheapskates.

RVC: If I asked Jodie to describe your work, what would she say?

DB: What I love about Jodie is that she has this brilliant ability to communicate what she looks for in authors and illustrators in such a clear yet personable manner–that’s a hugely important asset for an agent to have. As such, I couldn’t begin to put words into her mouth–I’d just ruin it.

RVC: Sometimes I hear people say that you can’t teach people to write. Do you think people can be taught to draw? (Note that this comes from a person who, despite working at Ringling College of Art and Design for a decade, can only draw three things—a bunny, Papa Smurf, and a vaguely three-​dimensional box. Then again, I’m not on the art side of things. Maybe that has something to do with it …)

DB: I’m self taught when it comes to illustration, and I’m always learning. Some people have more of a natural talent that comes through without tuition, while others hone their skills at art college. There’s no right or wrong way, but you should never stop learning new things.

Don’t discount your Papa Smurf drawing skills. They may save your life one day.

RVC: Well, if drawing smurfs can save a life, then thank goodness I’m so good at it, right? I mean, just consider the two images below.

You can barely tell which is drawn by a fancy professional artist and which is done by yours truly, right? I KNOW! It’s amazing what I’ve been able to do without a single art class ever! Can you believe it?

In any case, let’s have one last “serious” question before we move on. And let’s be clear—this might be the most important question anyone has ever been asked in an interview EVER. What in the blazes are “sherbet dib-​dabs”? My much-​ballyhooed WordPress UK-​to-​American-​English translator plugin is stumped at that phrase, which appears in your website bio.

Color/​colour me intrigued!

DB: So, a “Sherbet Dib Dab” is a piece of candy from the UK in the 1980s, which constitutes a pouch of sherbet powder into which one dips a lolly (boiled sweet on a stick). You then lick said sherbet from the lolly and repeat this process until the sherbet is all gone and the lolly has been licked into non-existence.

At school, we used to pour the entire sherbet contents into our mouths so that they frothed up with foam. We then thrashed about on the ground to emulate a rabid fit. There was a genuine rabies scare in the early 80s so this behavior was frowned upon by teachers and parents alike.

RVC: Oh my goodness, I’m SO glad I asked. From your delicious description, the candy sounds a bit like Fun Dip. But without the rabies fakeroo, I think, which I bet made it an extra tasty experience for all involved!

Now … no matter which side of the pond you’re on, this is what you’ve been waiting for. THE LIGHTNING ROUND! Zappy fast Qs and zippy-​skippy As, please. Are YOU READY!?!

DB: Hit me up with those gigawatts! I’m revving the DeLorean in anticipation.

RVC: Best place for fish and chips in Bristol?

DB: Easy! Prince’s in Fishponds. Next…

RVC: Coolest ships–Battlestar Galactica or Buck Rogers?

DB: Presuming you mean the original BG, then that one. Cylon Raiders trounce anything else in the galaxy.

RVC: What secret talent do you have that no one would suspect?

DB: It’s nerdy, but as my dad is a retired air force officer, I was obsessed with planes as a kid. I can identify pretty much any military aircraft at a glance.

RVC: What’s going to keep you up tonight after this interview?

DB: Oooooh, that’s a toughie. I may have to come back to that.

RVC: Best illustrated picture book you’ve recently encountered (by any artist not named Duncan)?

DB: I love Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein written by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Júlia Sardà. It’s a delicious slice of Gothic brilliance.

RVC: Best compliment a kid’s given your art?

DB: It’s not specifically about my art, but I remember after a book reading at a school, one kid ran up to me, hugged me round the legs, then told me he loved me and wanted me to come home with him to be his daddy. You can’t really top that. In fact, that’s probably going to be the thing that keeps me up tonight.

RVC: Thanks so much, Duncan. It was a hoot getting to know you and your work better. (For Duncan and his UK pals, I’ll offer a possible UK equivalent for the American expression “a hoot.” I’d go with “gobsmackingly bloody scrummy,” “tickety-​boo,” or perhaps just the simple but tried-​and-​true “sick.”)

Illustrator Interview: Matthew Reinhart

On By Only Picture BooksIn Behind the Books

This month’s interview is with author/​illustrator Matthew Reinhart, an artist whose life feels parallel to mine in all kinds of nifty ways. For example:

Matt’s folks are from Iowa (Cedar Rapids).

My folks are from Iowa (Des Moines)!

 

Matt’s dad was the son of a farmer.

My mom was the daughter of a farmer!

 

Matt’s dad served in the Navy.

My dad served in the Air Force!

 

Matt has a sister named Erin.

I have a brother named Aron!

 

Matt’s an avid fantasy and science fiction fan.

I’m an avid fantasy and science fiction fan!

 

Matt was a student at Clemson University.

I was a professor at Clemson University (alas, not one of Matt’s)!

 

Matt has lived “all over,” including South Carolina, Illinois, and Florida.

I’ve lived “all over,” including South Carolina, Illinois, and Florida!

 

Matt’s bio says he’s “married and busy with work.”

My bio says I’m “married and busy with work”!

 

Are you starting to see why I’m so intrigued by Matt, my artistic and—let’s be honest here—all-around-general-life doppelgänger?

Let me just add one more parallel, which is perhaps the most awesome pairing of all.

  • Matt makes awesome pop-​up books.
  • I love to read awesome pop-​up books!

Do you see why we’re practically best friends, despite only meeting (virtually, at that!) a few weeks back?

Let’s jump right ahead to the interview and see what YOU might have in common with my good pal, Matt. (My guess is “A lot!”)

 

website: www.matthrewreinhart.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxbY5VDdSrdvcMBvZBqvChA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewReinhar1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pop-Up-Books-by-Matthew-Reinhart-263860686940/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewcreinhart/

RVC: Your website’s ABOUT section says that “from before Matthew could remember, art always took center stage.” At what point did you pick up writing, and how did that addition to your creative arsenal change things for you? 

MR: Words were not my medium when I was young–pictures were my primary language. Back when I began making children’s books, I needed to learn quickly how to write despite the fact that there’s often very little room left on the page after the pop-​ups go in! I guess research and writing was something I was always pretty good at and, over the years, I think I’ve gotten better thanks to the help of talented editors.

I’d love to go back to school for creative writing–I’ll put that on my “to do” list!

RVC: If you ever do decide to go back to college to study creative writing, keep our program at Ringling College in mind. We especially cater to visually-​oriented writers in a host of ways.

**Okay, the horn-​tooting PR moment is now over.**

Back to the interview–like me in my teen years, you were concerned that an artistic future maybe wasn’t the best option. I wanted to play guitar (at first) and (later) become a writer. You wanted to be an artist, but you attended Clemson to study biology in preparation for attending med school. What type of doctor did you think you’d be? And how did studying the human body help with your art?

MR: Honestly, I’m not sure how much I actually thought about much back then, let alone what type of doctor I wanted to be. I just sort of did what was expected of me. I think there was a time when I wanted to be a plastic surgeon, mainly because I thought I could have a profitable medical career. Pretty altruistic goals, huh?  It was ridiculous idea, actually, because all of my sketchbooks were filled with monsters, mutants, space aliens, and robots. I mean, if I had been a plastic surgeon I might’ve grafted on extra eyes, antennae, and cyborg implants!

I will say that studying anatomy, biology, botany, and zoology helped immensely with art. It’s important when either drawing, painting or paper engineering a living thing that I understand its structure, how it moves and its placement in nature.

RVC: What changed in terms of your plans? What gave you courage to go from Clemson to New York City and NOT start medical school right away?

MR: What changed was that I actually got into medical school right after Clemson and I didn’t want to go! So, I told my parents I needed a year away from any schooling, moved to New York City for a year, and worked at an organ procurement organization taking corneal tissue from donor cadavers. Yes, you heard that right–I took out dead peoples’ eyeballs! Gruesome, eh?

That job gave me a lot of perspective about life and a future career. Life is short, and work takes up a LOT of time. I wanted a career that really made me happy, to be fulfilled. So, I made the plunge and never looked back.

RVC: Let’s talk about the Pratt Institute. After a year of eyeball procurement (now that’s a phrase I never thought I’d write!), you applied there and got accepted into the industrial design track with an eye (no pun intended!) toward making toys. What are some of the most valuable lessons you took away from those classes?

MR: My time at Pratt was just two years long–a quick graduate degree in industrial design was all I could afford. I had the talent and ability, but my Pratt classes really honed them into something viable for a career. My color theory professor, in particular, made a big impression on me–I learned to use color more intelligently, to manipulate palettes that could help tell stories.

My work after Pratt, however, was my real education–just getting thrown into pop-​up design headfirst. That, in my opinion, is the very best way to learn and grow creatively.

RVC: Say a few words about your friend and mentor, children’s book author Robert Sabuda. What type of influence did he have on your career?

MR: I wouldn’t have the career I have without him. I’m very thankful for our time together and the classic books we created together.

RVC: I can’t go any further without asking you directly about pop-​up books, because, well, I LOVE pop-​up books. When did you first learn that you had the knack for making these clever, tricky, amazing, wonderful things? 

MR: I think I had it many years before I even started working as a pop-​up book apprentice but I didn’t even realize it. In high school and college, I made elaborate mix-​tapes (long before smartphones carried all our favorite tunes) for my friends which often included illustrated comics. A few of them even had very simple pops, but I only have one to show for it today.

Aside from that, I was always making things out of paper and cardboard–that was all we had around the house that I could build with as a kid. You make do with what you’re given–I was always scavenging up any box, Styrofoam, cardboard, anything to make what was in my head!

See the source imageRVC: What’s the story of your first published pop-​up book, The Pop-​Up Book of Phobias? How did it come about, and what surprises did you encounter along the way?

MR: Robert Sabuda was offered the book, but he couldn’t do it, so I got offered the job by the publisher Melcher Media. I thought the book was an odd concept initially, to be honest, and didn’t even think it would end up being produced. We were rushed, too, so I don’t really remember much, other than having to build that damn toilet pop-​up 20 times over!

My biggest surprise was that the book was a moderate hit. I’ve since developed a fondness for the book and am proud to have been a part of making it memorable.

See the source image

RVC: You’ve gone on to create pop-​up books for some of the biggest pop culture franchises, such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Frozen, Transformers, My Little Pony, DC superheroes, LEGO, and more. Which one were you most stoked to work with/​for purely on a personal fanboy level? 

MR: Star Wars is my number one, with Transformers a very, very close second.  Both franchises very much inspire me to this day.

See the source image

RVC: Those are two of my favs, as well. Speaking of things that inspire us, tell us–what was it like working with picture-​book legend Maurice Sendak?

MR: It was an incredible experience for me. Here I was, this young inexperienced artist collaborating with this legend, Maurice Sendak! I was sort of blown away at his openness to listen to my opinion and vent his own insecurity with his work. Many artists are insecure about their work, no matter the level of success.

Maurice had an irreverent sense of humor and he always tried to shock me with what he could say. I’d seen and done pretty much everything, though, so I was rarely fazed. I miss him and will always be thankful for our friendship.

RVC: And what about working with Tomie DePaola?

MR: Tomie was wonderful to work with and really a fast learner. Once we gave him the specifics, he ran with it and made his artwork at lightning pace. He’s continued to be a friend and inspiration.

RVC: In one of your YouTube Pop-​Up Master Class videos, you mention how some of your best work emerges from playing around with paper. When you’re deep in the throes of paper experimenting, how much paper might you go through in a single workday?

MR: Eek! I don’t want to think about that!

Most of the time, the paper I use and toss is in messy pieces so it’s unusable when I need to toss it. I try NOT to throw paper away if I can do anything about it, but if I had to guess? Hmmm … 3–4 letter-​sized sheets during those times of unbridled paper experimentation.

RVC: What’s the most common misconception about pop-​up books?

MR: The common misconception is that pop-​up books are silly little books for kids. No book is ever silly, unless of course, they’re meant to be! Often folks tell me they’re shocked by how complicated, impressive, and sophisticated some of the titles I’ve worked on are. They want to keep the books all for themselves and not share them with their kids, which I think is hilarious. I just try to make a book that’s interesting for everyone, including myself.

RVC: What have you not yet done in a pop-​up book that you’d like to try?

MR: Scented elements! I’ve always wanted to make a food pop with scratch-​n-​sniff pop-ups.

You heard it first–Stinky Pops by Matthew Reinhart, coming sometime soon!

RVC: In all your experience with the world of picture books (of which pop-​up books are a part), what has surprised you the most?

MR: I’m surprised that despite all the advances of entertainment technology, digital media, and online story content, kids still like to curl up with a book. Reading a book is a personal one-​on-​one thing. There’s something about turning each page, holding the book, and taking it wherever.

School book fairs are as popular and important as ever. Books still matter–and I’m happy for that, as are all book-​makers, without a doubt.

RVC: It’s time now for the much-​ballyhooed, always-​interesting, and rarely-​equaled SPEED ROUND! High-​octane questions and potent-​pithy answers, please. Are you ready? 

MR: Yup!

RVC: Favorite type of cheesecake?

MR: Dulce De Leche Cheesecake or Oreo Cheesecake–pretty much any sort of candy or sweet (aside from fruit, which should never invade dessert, in my opinion) you can add to cheesecake is fine by me.

See the source imageRVC: Craziest “paper” you’ve ever worked with?

MR: Tyvek–that untearable, waterproof “paper” used to make FedEx envelopes/​packs and homewrap.

RVC: Crayola color that doesn’t yet exist, but you wish it did!

MR: Phosphorescent lime green.

RVC: Most unexpected source of inspiration for your paper art?

MR: Anything, to me, can be inspiration–so I wouldn’t characterize something that inspires me like that at all.

RVC: Favorite pop-​up book created by someone not named Matthew Reinhart?

MR: Hmmm… that’s tough. There are a lot! I’d say number one is Haunted House by Jan Pienkowski.

See the source image

RVC: Three words that describe what being an artist means to you?

MR: MAKE FANTASIES REAL.

RVC: Thanks so very much, Matthew!

Author Interview: John Coy

On By Only Picture BooksIn Behind the Books

This month’s author interview is with Minneapolis author John Coy. I first learned about him from reading his middle grade novel Crackback. It turns out that in addition to YA and middle grade work, he’s authored a number of picture books, too, on a variety of topics. Along the way, John received numerous awards for his writing including a Marion Vannett Ridgway Award for best first picture book, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year, and the Burr/​Warzalla Award for Distinguished Achievement in Children’s Literature.

Yeah, OPB is pretty excited to hear what he’s got to share. With that, let’s all find out together!

Website: https://johncoy.com/pages/about/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/John-Coy-Author-106528552773090/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/johncoy23
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johncoy23/

See the source imageRVC: Let’s start with a can’t‑miss question. Clearly you love sports, having written the 4 for 4 middle-​grade series and picture books such as Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Class Invented Basketball  and Strong to the Hoop. Why do sports topics/​issues translate so well into stories for kids?

JC: The drama. I played lots of sports as a kid and I’m amazed how the details of particular games stick with me all these years later. Sports provide a heightened atmosphere and that translates into good tension for stories.

RVC: When did you first realize you wanted to write picture books?

JC: At the Roseville Library in Minnesota when I was thirty-​two years old. I was looking at books with my five-​year-​old daughter and I had mine and she was still looking. I’d been reading tons of picture books with her and was fascinated by how much was possible with the form. I went over to the computer and typed in my own name to see if anybody named John Coy had written a book. The result came back  “Zero books by this author.” I realized if I wanted something to come up I needed to actually write a story.

RVC: In your bio at the Scholastic books site, it says that you’ve worked “as a dishwasher, mattress maker, tour guide, and group home worker before taking up writing.” Which of those proved most useful in terms of helping you become a successful writer?

JC: I love this question. All of them helped, but the tour guide job was the one most directly connected since giving a good tour is all about having great stories. And great stories come from reading, listening to people, conducting research, and then distilling that information to a memorable story. In terms of school visits, though, the group homework continues to be the most valuable as I learned how to connect and work with many different people.

See the source imageRVC: Describe the process of how a picture book emerges for you, from the kernel of an idea to the final product that you send on to an acquisition editor (who surely has their own requested tweaks, revisions, and adjustments). By way of example, how about we examine the genesis story of Two Old Potatoes and Me? What’s the seed-​to-​plant process there?

JC: This one has an interesting origin. In 1999, I was getting married in England and going to be in Europe for five weeks. I needed something to plant in my plot at the community garden that was hardy and could survive while I was gone, so I planted the entire area in potatoes. When I came back, the plot was full of weeds but the potatoes were doing fine. In the fall, I had so many potatoes so I gave some away to friends. One of them–Norton Stillman–called me and told me how good they were. “You should write a book about growing potatoes,” he said.

The next day I started writing about potatoes and then revised and revised it. I sent it to one editor who liked it but rejected it on the grounds that they already had a book about green beans, a vegetable quota I was unaware of. The second editor, Andrea Cascardi at Crown, said yes. Three illustrators turned down the chance to illustrate it, which turned out to be fortunate because we got Carolyn Fisher who created stunning art, including a copyright page with text in the shape of a potato with one sprout thanking Norton Stillman for the idea.

RVC: Two Old Potatoes and Me uses a memorable rhythmic text throughout. What are your feelings on rhyme? And how important is the sound of a picture book to you?

JC: Rhyme is tricky and I’m in awe of folks who do it well. Sound is key to picture book text since the book is designed to be read by an adult to a child. I read stories aloud over and over as I’m working on them. I also record them and hear new things when I listen to the recordings that help make changes.

RVC: What type of rituals or routines are part of your writing process?

JC: Yoga to start the day, breakfast, then some newspapers online. and NBA highlights for procrastination. I try to stay away from email until the afternoon in order to keep space for writing.

RVC: Writing advice is fairly easy to find, and it often consists of the same basic things—write more, read more, revise more, etc. What’s the most unexpected bit of useful advice you have for aspiring authors? 

JC: I don’t know if it’s unexpected, but the best advice for me came from the poet Diego Vazquez, Jr.: writers write. For me, that’s important to repeat regularly. Writers write.

I see many aspiring writers spending huge amounts of time trying to understand the business of publishing. Writers write. I think the most important aspect of writing is to write compelling stories.

Writers write.

RVC: Since we mentioned the submission process, let’s get your take on this question that many aspiring writers have. How vital is it for picture book writers to be represented by a literary agent?

JC: I did not have an agent for my first four picture books. Then my editor Andrea Cascardi decided to be an agent after her son was born. He just turned twenty-​one and Andrea is still my agent. She knows more about this than I do, so here’s her answer:

“Speaking as an agent, I would have to say it’s about getting access. Most of the large houses don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. That said, if a writer attends conferences where editors agree to read submissions from attendees or if they do online workshops where editors speak and also agree to read submissions, there are ways to get in the door.”

RVC: Knowing all you now know, what’s one thing you’d have done differently in terms of your writing career way back when?

JC: I would’ve started earlier. The worst piece of advice I heard was that if you don’t have to write every day, then you aren’t a writer. I didn’t feel I had to write every day. so I thought I wasn’t a writer. That and fear of rejection kept me from starting sooner.

RVC: What’s next for you, picture-book-wise?

See the source imageJC: Two picture books I started over twenty years ago. On Your Way, beautifully illustrated by Talitha Shipman, comes out August 13. It’s a celebration of first steps and the various ways we learn to move.

In October, My Mighty Journey: A Waterfall’s Story will be published. It’s the story of the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River and what it has witnessed over the past twelve thousand years. It’s first-​person waterfall, a type of story we don’t have enough of. Gaylord Schanilec and a team of artists collected material from the riverbank and made striking art with it.

In spring of 2020, two new books will be published. If We Were Gone will be released on the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day and imagines a world without people. Natalie Capannelli, in her picture book debut, created great pictures for that and it will have a different dust jacket and cover. Then for Father’s Day, Dads, my second collaboration with the award-​winning photographer Wing Young Huie, will be released.

RVC: Congrats on so much success! We’ll keep an eye out for those titles here at OBP. 

Now–just one last question for this part of the interview. There’s an audio recording at Teaching Books.net where you explain exactly how to pronounce your name. How common of an issue is this for your readers and/​or during school visits? I ask because I’ve got a potentially tricky name to get right, too, for a variety of reasons. Inquiring minds want to know!

JC: This is a great service from Teaching Books. I’m surprised how many schools check it out in advance of visits even with my simple name.

RVC: Alright, it’s time for … THE SPEED ROUND! Cheetah-​fast questions followed by Ferrari-​fast answers, please. Ready?

JC: Ready!

RVC: If I never became a writer, I’d have been a ___________.

JC: frustrated writer.

RVC: Most likely to appear in a future John Coy book—dinosaurs, ninjas, or pirates?

JC: Dinosaurs right now.

RVC: The Princess Bride. Great 80s movie or the greatest 80s movie?

JC: Great 80s movie.

RVC: Which is more satisfying—a book’s birthday or an idea for a new book?

JC: Idea. That’s when the fun begins.

See the source imageRVC: Favorite picture book by an author not named John Coy?

JC: Kao Kalia Yang’s A Map into the World, which comes out in October. I love it.

RVC: Coolest thing a kid said to you during a school visit?

JC: “Thank you for coming to our school.” That never gets old and goes straight to my heart.

RVC: Thanks so much, John!

Author Interview: Marilyn Singer

On By Only Picture BooksIn Behind the Books

This month’s Author Interview at Only Picture Books is with Marilyn Singer, the author of 90+ books for children and young adults. In addition to being an incredibly prolific author, she’s the host of the former AOL Children’s Writers Chat and currently co-​hosts the Poetry Blast at various conferences.

Need more Marilyn bio nuggets? Try these five facts:

  1. She LOVES swing dancing.
  2. She auditioned for Jeopardy but didn’t get selected–yet.
  3. She got to sing with a chorus for a track on the recording of the revival of the Broadway musical, Pippin.
  4. She’s lives with a cat named Benito and a poodle named Bizzy.
  5. She writes in so many different styles and genres—picture books, realistic novels, fantasy, mysteries, fairy tales, nonfiction, poetry, etc.—because it “keeps her from getting bored.”

Feel like you’ve got enough of a sense of things now to move straight to interview time? Let’s go!

Website: https://marilynsinger.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterBabe

RVC: It’s my understanding that your love for language emerged at a very early age thanks to the efforts of your family. What specifically did they do?

MS: My Romanian grandmother, who lived with us, told me marvelous stories every night. My parents read to me a lot, especially fairy tales and poetry. They also sang to me popular songs of the day. I grew up appreciating great lyricists such as Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart, and Johnny Mercer. So, my family really did teach me to love language.

RVC: Rumor has it that you were writing your own poems in elementary school. What did you like most about poetry back then?

MS: I think I liked the rhythm and musicality, particularly because I loved songs and singing. I also liked the emotion behind poetry and the fact that it could move me and other people and also make us laugh.

RVC: Despite all that, you didn’t consider writing as a career until a few years after college, right? Why not? What helped you make the move into the world of words? 

MS: Oh, I thought about writing as a career way back in elementary school—that, and having a dog kennel. 😉

But as I got older, my mom said that teaching was a stable career for a woman, and I decided she was probably right. So, I did become a high school English teacher, but I didn’t stay long in that career. I was rather rebellious and didn’t get along with the administration. When I quit teaching, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. My husband, Steve Aronson–head of the film department of the American Federation of Arts–got me jobs writing teaching guides and catalog copy about films and also filmstrips (remember those?). Then one day to my surprise, when I was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, I started writing stories about insect characters I’d made up when I was eight. I read the stories to Steve, who was encouraging, and I joined the Bank Street Writers Lab, and the members were also positive. I submitted those and other stories and I was very lucky. I got a manuscript accepted after about six months.

Would that it were that easy since!

RVC: Tell us a bit more about that first book and what it meant to you.

MS: Well, as I said, I was most fortunate. My first book was The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn’t. Ann Durell at Dutton accepted it and my next two books as well. I imagined my own dogs talking and having particular ideas and traits about personhood, and I think the book grew out of that. Once it and my next books were published, I decided that maybe I WAS a writer. It’s not an easy profession, though. It has serious ups and downs—from acceptances and rejections to good sales and low ones to books still in print for decades to those going out of print after a year. Still, I get to make my own hours and work in my pjs if I want to, and that’s not bad!

RVC: What’s one thing that non-​poets don’t fully appreciate about poetry?

MS:  Hmm, I don’t know if they realize that good poetry is hard to write and that it doesn’t always have to rhyme. A lot of folks who dislike poetry think it’s abstruse, which may be true of some poems, but certainly not all. Some also think that there’s just one type of poetry, which isn’t true in the least. I believe that there’s a poem or a type of poetry for all readers to enjoy. But they may need help finding it, which is where teachers, parents, other relatives, and friends come in.

See the source imageRVC: Just the other day, I picked up Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems in my weekly grab-​whatever-​catches-​my-​eye run at the public library. What made you think of creating a book like that?

MS: One day I was watching my cat sitting in an easy chair and a poem came into my head:

A cat                                       Incomplete:

without                                    A chair

a chair:                                    without

Incomplete.                             a cat.

I began to wonder if I could come up with more poems like that. I wrote a number of them on a variety of subjects, but quite a few were based on fairy tales. I showed them to an editor who suggested I do an entire collection based on fairy tales, and that’s how Mirror Mirror (Dial, 2010), with divine illustrations by Josée Masse, came about.

I originally called them up-​and-​down poems. It was my husband who came up with the word “reverso.” To write a reverso, I follow strict rules—when the lines are reversed, there are changes in just punctuation and capitalization, and the second half of the poem has to say something different from the first half. These poems are tricky to write. I have to be in a games-​playing head. Also, I have to write them on a computer, as opposed to a legal pad (which is how I write many of my poems) so that I can shift around the lines and see if they make sense.

RVC: You’ve got a host of animal-​related books out in 2019 and 2020—one on presidential pets, one on insects and spiders, one on animals that live in cities, and one on how animals eat. Did you write a lot of animal poems and they sort of fell into these categories, or do you come up with the title/​idea first and then create the poems?

MS: The theme came up first for each of those books. Then I started to write the poems. Two of those books, Bug Dipping, Bug Sipping (S&S, 2020) and Gulp, Gobble (S&S, 2019) are each really a single poem. Who Named Their Pony Macaroni? (Disney-​Hyperion, 2019) and Wild in the Streets (Quarto, 2019) are collections. I never feel that I have a collection in the works until I write a minimum of five to seven poems. And then I have to write a lot more to finish the collection.

RVC: When do the titles happen?

MS: The title almost always comes last, sometimes after much discussion with editors, marketing people, and friends.

RVC: So, you’re essentially a lifelong New Yorker. And what’s something most people don’t appreciate or understand about being a New Yorker?

MS: That’s an interesting question. I think a lot of people believe that New Yorkers are cold or hard when in fact people here are generally friendly and helpful. I’m a native New Yorker and I find I start conversations with folks anywhere and anytime. People here love to give directions and advice on things to see and do.  And they will help you if you are in trouble. I once tripped on the street and a stranger picked me up and held me until I said I was fine. We do tend to be in a hurry a lot of the time, though, and I know that when I’m trying to get to a Broadway theater, I get impatient with tourists taking selfies. 😉

RVC: How does your New York-​ness play into your writing?

MS: I think the energy here gives me energy to write, and I also think some of my work is inspired by the city—books such as City Lullaby and poems in Nine O’Clock Lullaby, On the Same Day in March, A Full Moon Is Rising, Every Month Is a New Year, and Wild in the Streets, just to name a few.

RVC: Of the many awards and honors you’ve received, which meant the most to you?

MS: I was thrilled to receive the 2015 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Excellence in Poetry for Children Award because it was for the body of my work. I found out I’d won it at a birthday brunch for my husband, so we both got to celebrate that day.

RVC: Now it’s time to close things out with the Awesome Sauce, Mesmerizing, Life-​or-​Death-​Stakes* SPEED ROUND! (*life or death stakes not included!) Ready?

MS: As Neil deGrasse Tyson would say, “Let’s do this!”

RVC: Cake, cupcakes, or pie?

MS: Pie—or maybe tres leches cake.

RVC: Three careers you might’ve had if you never got into kidlit?

MS: Casting director. Zoo keeper. Cabaret singer.

RVC: So, you’re having a dinner party with three guests from the world of books. Living or dead, real or imaginary, what three characters would you invite?

MS: I’d invite Shakespeare, Lin-​Manuel Miranda, and Irene Pepperberg, who studies parrots. They’ve all written books/​plays, so do they count?

RVC: Of course! It’s your party, after all. Next question–which of your books is your secret favorite?

See the source imageMS: That’s a really hard question to answer. I’m fond of my first poetry collection, Turtle in July, and Mirror Mirror, too, since it was a surprise even to me! I also really like The First Few Friends, a YA novel set in the late 60s that bombed at the box office, as it were. I think it might’ve done better if it had been published today.

RVC: Most underappreciated yet awesome kidlit poet working today?

MS: All kidlit poets are underappreciated! Poetry is underappreciated! You’re not going to get me to name names. 😉

RVC: What would you like your literary epitaph to be?

MS: I came, I saw, I wrote about it.

RVC: Thanks so much, Marilyn!